The Mi brothers had good luck. The house they drew was a newly built, single-story home with tiled walls and floors. Mi Le took Youyou’s hand to show him their room. It was clean and spacious. To their surprise, the room even had a wall-mounted air conditioner and a mosquito net over the spring mattress bed.
The landlord was a grandmother in her fifties. Her son and daughter-in-law worked outside the village. When she heard people were coming to film a TV show, she rented out her son’s wedding room. Shen Yan sat on the sofa, incredibly envious. He turned his head and saw his little brother holding a corncob bigger than his face, sitting on a small stool, his mouth wide open.
“Youyou, is it good?” Mi Le asked.
Su Youli nodded. “So good! So sweet!”
Mi Huan saw the two little ones sitting in a corner, eating corn, with a big red double-happiness character pasted on the wall behind them.
“Grandma Zhang grew the corn herself. If Youyou likes it, you can take some back with you.”
Shen Yan was just wondering how to solve the food problem. Curious, he asked, “Is it okay for us to eat the host’s food?”
Mi Huan scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. “I don’t know. As soon as we came in, Grandma Zhang was very welcoming. Lele and I ate corn and drank some drinks from Grandma Zhang’s house. She also said she’d kill a chicken tonight and give Lele a drumstick.”
Why wasn’t their landlord this nice?
Shen Yan sighed and looked up at the sky. Su Youli heard his big brother sigh. He took the half-eaten corncob and brought it to his brother’s mouth.
“Big Brother isn’t hungry. You eat it.”
Su Youli took the corncob back, sat on the small stool, and continued gnawing.
Mi Huan could tell that the house they had drawn might not be as nice. He tentatively asked, “Shen Laoshi, have you and Youyou gotten your place sorted out? Do you need any help?”
Hearing his formal address, Shen Yan said, “I’m a bit older than you. Just call me ‘ge.'”
Mi Huan paused, then said, “Shen Yan ge.”
That sounded much better. Then, Shen Yan briefly described the small courtyard. The house itself was fine, but their landlord was difficult. From the moment they arrived, the old man hadn’t given them a single smile. Shen Yan was frowning over this, his handsome face contorted, when Mi Le had already taken Su Youli to play in Grandma Zhang’s threshing ground. By the time Shen Yan got there, the little one had somehow gotten a small bowl and was sitting on a stone ledge, his eyes sparkling.
“Oh my, you are so beautiful! Tell Grandma, little one, what’s your name?”
Su Youli felt a familiar warmth from Grandma Zhang. Holding the bowl, he said, “My name is Su Youli. I’m three and a half years old.”
He was well-behaved and beautiful, and he spoke so clearly. The old lady adored him.
Grandma Zhang’s son and daughter-in-law got married last year and hadn’t had children yet. If only her own grandchild could be this good-looking.
“So good. Hey, why aren’t you drinking the soy milk Grandma gave you? I put sugar in it. It’s delicious. Drink up before it gets cold and doesn’t taste as good.”
The bowl in his hands was still steaming, the aroma of beans drifting into the little one’s nose. Su Youli still remembered the rule about not accepting food from strangers. He hesitated to drink. Mi Le, sitting beside him, had already finished his, with a ring of white foam around his mouth.
“Grandma Zhang, I want more!” Mi Le unceremoniously held out his bowl.
Grandma Zhang, advanced in years and living alone at home, loved having lively children around.
“Okay, okay, I’ll go get you more. I filled two jugs when I was making the tofu.”
Village families grew their own soybeans and made their own soy milk. The flavor was rich and thick, and adding a bit of sugar made it incredibly fragrant.
Su Youli saw his big brother approaching, held up his bowl, and asked, “Big Brother, can I drink it?”
Shen Yan saw how his mouth was watering at the sight, patted his head, and said, “Go ahead.”
Only then did the little one start drinking with relish, taking a sip for himself and then giving one to his brother. Shen Yan noticed he had eaten corn and was now drinking soy milk. His heart ached for him, and he asked if he was hungry. The little one wasn’t really hungry; he just found these things novel.
Soon after, Niu Niu, who had also settled in, arrived. Of the four little guests, Niu Niu was the only girl. As soon as Mi Le saw her, he gave her his newly acquired bowl of soy milk. He felt that since he and his brother were staying at Grandma Zhang’s house, Youyou and Niu Niu were guests. Niu Niu held the bowl, hesitant to drink, her eyes constantly darting to her father.
After Du Ze had chatted with Shen Yan for a while, he finally noticed her and waved his hand. “Drink less. Look how fat you’ve gotten.”
Grandma Zhang was busy pressing tofu nearby. When she heard this, she clicked her tongue in displeasure. “What’s wrong with being fat? Children are cuter when they’re chubby.”
Village elders were straightforward. When they heard something unpleasant, they would speak their minds. Besides, Niu Niu seemed timid, and her heart went out to the child.
“Don’t say things like that in front of the child anymore. It will hurt her feelings.”
Du Ze instinctively wanted to argue. She was his daughter. Why was an old woman butting in? But when he felt Shen Yan’s gaze lightly rest on him, he swallowed his words. Three families were gathered. No one knew how that bratty child, Cen Yuankai, was doing. Mi Huan thought for a moment and kindly suggested they go look for him.
Before the three of them could decide, the director sent a task card via the camera crew. Ninety percent of the young people in Nianbai Village worked away from home. It was now the busy farming season, and help was needed. The guests would have to earn tonight’s food through labor. The one who completed the task fastest would receive a bonus.
The three little ones sat beside Grandma Zhang, watching their fathers and brother go forward to choose tools. On the spacious threshing ground, a long table was set up with tools like sickles and baskets. Each of the three men chose a tool, then went to collect protective clothing and gloves.
The adults had gone off to earn dinner. Su Youli was the most clingy child, tugging on Shen Yan’s clothes and insisting on going with him. Shen Yan held a sickle in his hand, holding it high, afraid it might hit the little one.
“Youyou, be good. How about I have Brother Xiao Tang stay here with you?”
Su Youli shook his head. He wasn’t a little fool. Brother Xiao Tang couldn’t be filmed; he could only stay far away and accompany him. The little one’s lack of security made Shen Yan’s heart ache. He looked to the director with pleading eyes. In the end, the director allowed it, arranging for Tang Dou to stay with Su Youli in a lamb costume.
Su Youli had already figured out that the lamb was Brother Xiao Tang. When he saw him appear in the costume, he was overjoyed. The little one, who had been clutching his brother’s pants just moments ago, immediately let go and ran toward the lamb without looking back.
Shen Yan: “…”
Mi Huan smiled. “Youyou is already very good. Look at my Lele. When I said I was leaving, he didn’t glance at me once.”
With Tang Dou accompanying him, Shen Yan finally felt at ease leaving to earn dinner for himself and the little one.
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